Biden pardons 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug-related crimes | News about Joe Biden
The outgoing US president says the move is ‘an important step towards correcting historical injustices, correcting disparities in sentencing’.
United States President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug crimes just days before his White House term ended.
ua statement on Friday, Biden said the individuals granted clemency “served disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy and practice.”
“With this process, I have issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in US history,” he said.
The announcement comes as the Democrat granted pardons and reduced sentences for a number of people before his successor, Republican Donald Trump, takes office on Monday.
In December, Biden mitigated the penalties for 37 of the 40 federal inmates facing the death penalty, converting them to life in prison without parole.
He too he announced the same month that he pardoned 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who were serving long prison terms.
Biden was exposed to criticism for pardoning his son Hunter, who pleaded guilty to tax offenses and was convicted of firearms-related charges.
As Biden’s term drew to a close, defense lawyers and civil rights groups stepped up efforts to highlight compelling cases and launched campaigns to help those they believe were wrongfully convicted or serving excessive sentences for nonviolent crimes.
In a statement Friday, Biden said those granted clemency received lengthy sentences “based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug-related crimes.”
“As Congress recognized with the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act, it’s time to equalize them. criminal differences“, he said, adding that he would continue to consider additional commutations and pardons.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic injustices, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing opportunities for deserving individuals to return to their families and communities after spending too much time behind bars.”
American presidents usually order a series of pardons near the end of their term.
For his part, Trump said yes plans to pardon at least some of his supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, after he takes office on Monday.
Rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from confirming Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump.
